Last month, as five young black boys in Grand Rapids, Mich., were walking home from a local rec center, where they had been playing basketball, they were swarmed by local police, who drew their guns, and held them at gunpoint for over 10 minutes, as the boys wailed in fear and confusion. The incident happened nearly a month ago, but the body camera footage was just released.
The situation...

“I do not want to die, bro.”
“Can you please put the gun down?”
Those were the words uttered by a group of unarmed Black teenagers in Grand Rapids, Mich., as they lay facedown on the ground in a March 24 incident in which they were stopped by police and held at gunpoint. Now their parents are angered and looking for answers as to why their sons were subject to...

Grand Rapids, MI — Outraged community leaders in Grand Rapids are demanding reform after five African American youths aged between 12 and 14 years were held at gunpoint — for no justifiable reason — as they walked home from playing basketball. Pressure on the department by The Grand Rapids Press through a Freedom of Information Act request finally forced them to release...

Unfortunately and lamentably, a study issued by Lamberth Consulting yesterday confirmed what many in our community - including the 300 residents who attended the City Commission meeting last week - have been clearly articulating: the GRPD systemically polices people of color differently than the white population. The study’s results echo, emphatically, what residents shared with the...

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - Since the city of Grand Rapids released a study that revealed racial disparities in traffic stops, organizations that represent large minority groups are calling upon the community to act.
“In my experience, the people who are experiencing the most negative impacts of behavior are the best ones to be able to articulate what needs to be done to address them,”...